Together we can build homes, families, communities and hope. We are best known for our homeownership program that builds and rehabs simple, affordable homes in partnership with low-income families and volunteers from the surrounding communities.

Buy A Home

WHY RENT WHEN YOU CAN OWN? Habitat for Humanity of Greater Cincinnati is a partnership housing program in the truest sense of the word. Applicants must demonstrate a need for housing, ability to pay back a mortgage estimated at $500 per month (including taxes and insurance) and be willing to partner with Habitat in the building and buying of their home. Habitat homebuyers work side by side with volunteers each week building their own home and the homes of others, attend homeownership and financial training classes and are positive ambassadors for HFHGC throughout every step of the process. In exchange, Habitat homebuyers are provided the opportunity to build and buy a Habitat for Humanity home with an affordable mortgage payment. We are not a charity and we give away nothing, but opportunity.

STOP PAYING A LANDLORD AND SEE IF YOU QUALIFY TO BUY YOUR OWN HOME!

STEP 1: DON’T PUT OFF APPLYING!

Many Habitat homeowners said they took months to even years to finally apply to build and buy a home with Habitat after they learned about this opportunity. If you are concerned or unsure if you qualify, please don’t assume you are not qualified. Even if you apply and your application is denied, you will be provided with the reason for your denial so you can, possibly, reapply in the future. You will never know if you are eligible unless you apply.

STEP 2: REVIEW HABITAT’S THREE CRITERIA FOR QUALIFYING

1) Must Have Need for Adequate Housing: Must be living in substandard or inadequate housing that does not meet your needs. Living in subsidized housing meets this criteria or anyone whose current housing expenses exceed 30% of their income. Do not disqualify yourself because you feel you do not have a housing need. We encourage you to apply and let Habitat determine if you meet this criteria.

2) Must Have Ability to Pay: Must be able to afford an estimated monthly mortgage payment of $500 (including taxes and insurance). The ability to pay criteria are listed as part of Step 4.

3) Must Be Willing to Partner: This is a public partnership with many responsibilities and expectations for each homebuyer. At Habitat, we often say we give away nothing to our homebuyers, but an opportunity. To be considered for a Habitat home you must be willing to earn “sweat equity” hours. You earn sweat equity hours by working to help in building your home and the homes of others, working in the Habitat ReStores or other approved activities. In addition, you earn hours by attending required home buying classes and Habitat events.

HOW MANY HOURS MUST BE EARNED?

250 Sweat Equity Hours – One Applicant Households where only one person is officially purchasing the home must earn 250 hours of sweat equity.500 Sweat Equity Hours – Two applicant (applicant and co-applicant) households must earn 500 hours of sweat equity.

You must commit to the following partnership requirements.

• Commit to earning 8 hours of sweat equity per month until home starts construction
• Commit to being at your build site each Saturday that your home is under construction
• Commit to paying $800 towards the first year insurance premium
• Commit to attending monthly Homebuyer group meetings
• Commit to attending home buying classes that will cover a variety of topics such as an overview of Habitat for Humanity, home maintenance, lawn care, purchasing a home, purchase documents, all forms of insurance, etc.
• Commit to attend Financial Peace University. This is a national program used by Habitat affiliates across the country. These are 9-week sessions that are, typically, scheduled over 9 Saturdays. If you attend sessions provided by Habitat, classes will be free.
• Commit to certifying household debts AND income every six months until home is purchased. Any negative change in income or debts could result in your de-selection from the Habitat program.

NOTE: You must be comfortable with friends and family knowing you are purchasing a home with Habitat. This is a public partnership that can involve news coverage, social media coverage and information about homebuyers and build sites are shared on the Habitat website.

STEP 3: CONFIRM YOUR HOUSEHOLD MEETS THE BELOW INCOME REQUIREMENTS

STEP 4: CONFIRM YOU MEET THE FOLLOWING REQUIREMENTS

1) Inability to qualify for a mortgage – Habitat will verify this, you do not need to do anything. 2) No bankruptcy within the past three years (must be three years from date of discharge) 3) No eviction within the past 12 months4) No foreclosure within the past 3 years 5) No felony convictions for anyone in household over age 18 in the prior five years6) No open judgments or liens. 7) Debt/Income ratio cannot exceed 40% of monthly income spent on estimated mortgage payment of $500 and monthly debt combined.8) No more than $2,000 in uncollected past due, bad debt. Example: If a credit card has a $3,000 balance and payments are current, this is not considered a “bad” debt. However, if the credit card is in default and is in collection that would be considered a “bad” debt. 9) You can check your credit by visiting www.annualcreditreport.com. You are entitled to receive one free copy from each of the three reporting credit agencies one time per year by visiting this website.

NOTE: Married applicants can apply individually, but spouse must be listed on application as member of household, provide all income and asset information, consent to a background check and agree to sign a release of dower at time of home purchase. The spouse who is not an applicant will not have their income or debts counted when determining if the applicant meets the ability to pay criteria, but their income and assets will be considered to determine if the household income is within Habitat’s guidelines.

STEP 5: DETERMINE IF YOU ARE WILLING TO BUILD WHERE HFHGC IS CURRENTLY BUILDING.Below is a list of currently available build sites that are ready to be matched with homebuyers.

If you are not interested in any of these build sites, then you are encouraged to keep checking back to our website for an updated build site list and apply as soon as a suitable build site is posted.

OR, you can go ahead and apply with the understanding that as you finish the application process, it is not expected that the final list of build sites available for you to select from will include any additional sites, but it is always a possibility.

NOTE: This represents the build sites that are available to be matched over the next six months. But, this list can change as build sites are added or deleted.

Applicants will be given a final list of available build sites AFTER they have completed an application, provided all required documentation, met the ability to pay criteria and have agreed to a final home interview as the last step in the family selection process.

NOTE: Tour of homes, review of building plans, or additional specifics on these build sites, etc. are not available until an applicant has completed the application process and HFHGC has determined you are eligible for our program. At that time, we will host a meeting with all qualified applicants to review in detail the list of available build sites.

STEP 6: Request an application if you think you meet the list of requirements and you are willing to build and buy a home at one the above listed build sites. Even if not interested in an available build site, you may apply, but understand we do not anticipate this list of available build site lists changing by the time your application is reviewed.

To complete an application, you can do one of the following:

1) Call 513-621-4147, Ext. 3 to leave your name and mailing address — an application will be mailed. This is a 24-hour voicemail box, so you can call at any time. Applications are mailed each Friday.

3) If you would like to print out an application from our website instead of having one mailed to you, please click below. Please read the introduction pages completely. This provides you an overview of requirements, selection process and documentation required to be submitted with application.

STEP 7: Complete the application and submit all required documentation to determine if you qualify. Habitat will respond within 30 days of the receipt of your application.

Equal Housing Opportunity We are pledged to the letter and spirit of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the nation. We encourage and support an affirmative advertising and marketing program in which there are no barriers to obtaining housing because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, national origin, age, marital status, or sources of income.

Thank You to Our Corporate Sponsors

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If you donate $50 to Habitat from March 18th-March 24th, you can get your taxes prepared for free! Please visit or call the Liberty Tax, Lawrenceburg Office, located at 591 W. Eads Parkway, (812) 537-1044, to find out more or to schedule an appointment. ... See MoreSee Less

If you donate $50 to Habitat from March 18th-March 24th, you can get your taxes prepared for free! Please visit or call the Liberty Tax, Lawrenceburg Office, located at 591 W. Eads Parkway, (812) 537-1044, to find out more or to schedule an appointment. ... See MoreSee Less

If you donate $50 to Habitat from March 18th-March 24th, you can get your taxes prepared for free! Please visit or call the Liberty Tax, Lawrenceburg Office, located at 591 W. Eads Parkway, (812) 537-1044, to find out more or to schedule an appointment. ... See MoreSee Less

“Rock the Block” Lockland on April 14, sponsored by Habitat, Village of Lockland, and Lockland Schools, will feature a day of neighborhood clean-up and maintenance. Sign up to volunteer today! #HabitatCincy #LoveLockland

The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that engages more than 5 million Americans in service through its AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, Social Innovation Fund and Volunteer Generation Fund programs, and leads the president’s national call to service initiative, United We Serve! Habitat AmeriCorps NCCC changes lives and communities. qoo.ly/mzuij... See MoreSee Less

Save the date! Saturday, April 14 is Rock the Block, The Village of Lockland's neighborhood clean-up day. Rain or shine, Rock the Block celebrates neighbors helping neighbors! Link to more info: http:...

If you donate $50 to Habitat from March 18th-March 24th, you can get your taxes prepared for free! Please visit or call the Liberty Tax, Lawrenceburg Office, located at 591 W. Eads Parkway, (812) 537-1044, to find out more or to schedule an appointment. ... See MoreSee Less

During the 2016-17 service year, AmeriCorps NCCC members provided nearly 900,000 hours of service and mobilized, trained and managed more than 226,000 volunteers in local community building efforts. AmeriCorps develops lifelong leaders and supporters for Habitat and the cause of safe, affordable housing. #AmeriCorpsNCCC #HabitatLoveqoo.ly/mz7fd... See MoreSee Less

Seeking Lockland homeowners in need of minor exterior home repairs. FINAL DAYS TO APPLY to be a "Rock the Block" host site. Click here to apply today: habitatcincinnati.org/rock-the-block/

Interested homeowners in the Village of Lockland can visit the Village Admin building or the Lockland Bd of Ed office for application pick-up and return. DUE BY 3PM THURSDAY, MARCH 29. Applicants must be homeowners in need of minor exterior repairs, 80% of the area median income or below, and volunteer during "Rock the Block", April 14, 2018. A one-time $20 fee will be collected from each eligible and approved applicant. habitatcincinnati.org/rock-the-block/

Seeking Lockland homeowners in need of minor exterior home repairs. FINAL DAYS TO APPLY to be a "Rock the Block" host site. Click here to apply today: habitatcincinnati.org/rock-the-block/

Interested homeowners in the Village of Lockland can visit the Village Admin building or the Lockland Bd of Ed office for application pick-up and return. DUE BY 3PM THURSDAY, MARCH 29. Applicants must be homeowners in need of minor exterior repairs, 80% of the area median income or below, and volunteer during "Rock the Block", April 14, 2018. A one-time $20 fee will be collected from each eligible and approved applicant. habitatcincinnati.org/rock-the-block/#LoveLockland ... See MoreSee Less

Twenty-four years ago, Habitat for Humanity partnered with a new national service program, AmeriCorps NCCC to place 122 individuals in five locations to support Habitat’s work. Every year, over 500 AmeriCorps members serve with Habitat throughout the U.S. Habitat for Humanity was one of the first organizations to partner with AmeriCorps when it was founded in 1994.qoo.ly/mwuzf... See MoreSee Less

Please join us for an exciting Grand Opening celebration of the new Fairfield ReStore location TODAY from 11am-1pm. The Grand Opening will feature live broadcasts from the store by local well-known radio personalities, Seg Denison from WLW 700 and Christi from Kiss 107.1. Customers will be treated to free food, giveaways, and coupons from iHeart Radio and other local businesses. Visit qoo.ly/mvhea for directions. ... See MoreSee Less

“Rock the Block” Lockland on April 14, presented by Habitat in partnership with the Village of Lockland and Lockland Schools, will feature a 9 am kickoff party at Roettger Stadium, 124 Anna St., in Lockland before we get to work! Sign up to volunteer today! #HabitatCincy #LoveLockland

ReStore Habitat Cincinnati was recently at the Home and Garden Show where they shared a booth Q102 Radio. They had several repurposed items and people could schedule a donation pickup, sign-up to volunteer and learn more about their mission.

Our Miami University Campus Chapter is partaking in the Buffalo Wild Wings Home Team Advantage fundraiser. This event runs from now until March 31st. Simply state that you are dining with “Team H” (for Habitat), and 10% of your check will be applied to the fundraiser. ... See MoreSee Less

Thanks to Chico’s FAS for recognizing the strength of women homeowners. Harriet, like so many other Habitat homeowners, worked full-time while she was building her home. Buying her first home was the next step in her journey to self-sufficiency. Chico'sWhite House Black MarketSoma Intimates #WomenBuild, #HabitatforHumanity, #ChicosCares, #WHBMCares, #SomaCares ... See MoreSee Less